MaxXAri OneShot
by Tsukaimon
Summary: 8D Fax is getting old. You know it.


_**NOTE: I realize Ari is dead now. I also realize that Ari is to young for Max and that they are half-brother and sister. No Fax lovers here 'cuz you'll just complain. Oh, and I realize that he was a member of the flock before he died. Don't point this out. I've read The Final Warning and I've read MAX.**_

_I hate her._ _I hate her face. I hate her eyes. I hate _everything. Ari frowned, is dark fur blowing wildly in several places from the gale that surrounded him. His dark, heavy wings kept him in place. He snarled to himself. He hated these wings. All his life, he'd wanted to be like Max. Oh, the great Max! His father loved Max. _Only _Max. Never had time for poor, little Ari. You can bet that he was so happy when his father had decided to give him wings like hers. But, he was wrong to feel this way. He was _nothing _like Max. Nothing had changed. He was still just the same mutant that his father hated.

His eyes began to sting eyes the tears began to fell. No one would've have noticed these tears though. No one cared about poor, little Ari. _I'm proud of you_. He remembered his father's words. "Liar." Ari snarled to himself. Ari unfurled his large wings, and soon he was in the air, flying far away. He wanted to clear his head. But there was no way to do so. Nothing could suppress the agony he was feeling. But this wasn't agony that he felt because of his neglectful father. Oh, no. It was because of something far, far worse:

It was because of Max. Because he loved her. He _loved _her. He hated it. He hated the sharp knife of agony that he felt when he saw the pure hatred in her eyes when she saw him. And yet, seeing her, it made him want her more. He could take her. He could kidnap her. Oh, it would be so _easy_, too. He could just take her and make her his own. He _needed _Max. To bad that his life didn't work that way. There was always a wall, a wall that blocked him from what he wanted. In this case, it was Fang. _Fang_. He snarled under his breath at the name. He had seen many times the look that Fang got when he looked at Max. He had seen it on Max's face, too, but with a mix of confusion and terror. Why had he seen this, he wondered.

Max certainly didn't love him. She _couldn't…_could she? He had never asked her, of course, but _could _she? Could she possibly love a monstrous thing like him? He shook his head from side to side. _No, no. She couldn't. She _hates _me._ Part of him truly believed that. But part of him sincerely wanted to believe that somehow, someway, Max _did _love him. With a furious sigh, he stood up, "I want to believe that…." he whispered, taking off into the air, away from his father, away from his pain.

Max stared out the window of her bedroom, the stars shimmering overhead now that the storm had cleared. It had been months since the flock had decided to stay at her mother's house, and she didn't know if they would ever leave. He tawny colored wings twitched anxiously, as if she knew something was going to happen. Whether it was good or bad, she didn't know. _And he loves you. He loves you a lot. _Angel had told her this. Angel had managed to grab this out of Ari's hate-filled mind. "Ari…." she whispered with silent agony.

Max was confused. That was nothing new, of course, but this was different. Angel said that Ari _loved _her, but how can that be true? He had tried to kill the flock, her family, so many times. She guessed that this was the definition of 'tough love', but she didn't think that trying to tear her to shreds counted as any type of love. And yet…something about Ari, she didn't know want, made her think that he really didn't want to kill her. Well, it seemed like he really wanted to kill Fang, but not her.

_He loves you_. She almost jumped in surprise. The Voice hadn't spoken to her in some time. It was strange, hearing it speak to her again. She didn't reply. She didn't know what to say. _You love him, too._

"Shut up," she snarled in a whisper. The Voice didn't reply, and a triumphant smile reached Max's face. It didn't stay long, though, because she head the sounds of beating wings in the distance, then it got louder and louder, until she could make out the shape of Ari. Instinctively, she narrowed her eyes at the Eraser. But, then she realized something: Ari was alone. If he had wanted to fight, he would've certainly brought some other Erasers with him, wouldn't he? She backed up a bit so Ari could land in her windowsill, then she watched with a wary gaze as he climbed into the room.

"Hello, Max," he said with a toothy grin. The side of Max's mouth twitched as she suppressed the urge to smile back. _No. He's the enemy._ She told herself.

_You're in denial. _The Voice said in a sing-song voice. She inwardly snarled at the Voice, then she became hyper-aware that Ari was walking toward her. "Max…" he said in a whisper, his hand brushing her cheek. She flinched at the touch. Not because it hurt, because it had startled her. Hurt touched Ari's eyes, and he reached his hand up once more to caress her cheek. She didn't flinch away this time.

"Why are you here?" Max demanded, trying to ignore Ari's touch with little success. She felt Ari hesitate. She wished Angel were in the room so she could read Ari's mind.

"I…I wanted to see you…" he admitted. Shock and pleasure both shot through Max. He definitely wasn't here to fight.

"Why?" she asked nervously, as if she was afraid of the answer. One of Ari's wolf ears twitched as he caught the nervous edge in her voice.

"I need to tell you something," he told her, putting his hands on both sides of her face. "But I need to confirm something, too. Hold still." Max barely had time to breathe before Ari put his mouth on hers. She went rigid for a moment, then relaxed,

_Go with the flow, Max._ The Voice had told her this once before. She could oblige. She put her arms around his shoulders, standing on tiptoe as she kissed him back. The seconds ticked by before Ari finally broke the kiss, a hungry look still in his eyes. "Max?"

"Hm…?" she asked a bit dazed. Ari said nothing, and she realized Ari was waiting for her to say something. "I…enjoyed it." She admitted. Ari's eyes gleamed.

"Does that mean…?" Ari asked, praying to God that he was right.

She nodded slowly, laying her head against Ari's shoulder, "I love you, Ari." She felt his arms wrap around her, pulling her gently into a hug.

"I love you, too." he whispered back, smiling.

Max grinned suddenly. "Can we have an encore?" Ari laughed, kissing her once more. A sudden thought filled Max's mind. _Oh, God. What's Angel going to say?_

THE END


End file.
